Yuzuki Kanako
Introduction Yuzuki Kanako, born Mimasaka Kanako, is a supporting character in the series Mouryou no Hako. First introduced as the best friend of Kusumoto Yoriko, she later becomes a major part of the plot which unfolds later in the series. Appearance Kanako is noted by a number of people in the series to be very beautiful, with long black hair which she leaves untied, and black eyes. In the series, she is only seen wearing her school uniform. Plot Kanako is introduced as Kusumoto Yoriko's classmate. Initially, she seems relatively uninterested in lessons, but is later shown to be the only girl in the class who can accurately answer the teacher's question regarding the Rokkasen, ''which she does when Yoriko is chastised by the teacher for failing to do so. At the end of class, Kanako asks Yoriko to walk home with her, and the latter seems instantly enamoured with Kanako. As from Yoriko's perspective, Kanako frequents posh cafes and drinks coffee while listening to foreign music and reading literature magazines. During one such cafe visit, Kanako questions Yoriko on her knowledge of ''Tennin Gosui ''(Five Death Omens of an Angel). Upon seeing the latter's confusion, Kanako explains that an angel does not feel pain and hardship like humans do, but can still die, and the ''Tennin Gosui ''describe the omens of an angel's death. Kanako proceeds to describe the omens - withering of the anadem, soiling of the garments, sweat dripping from the armpit, dizziness, and the loss of happiness. This greatly impacts Yoriko. Subsequently, Kanako and Yoriko meet again at night, where Kanako asks Yoriko to dance with her under the moonlight, saying that only under moonlight can living beings escape from being bound to life, among other things. Their encounter is halted a while later with the arrival of Kanako's guardian, Amemiya Noritada. However, their nighttime walks continue. In another cafe visit, upon being asked by Yoriko why Kanako spends her time with her, Kanako answers that they are each other, and they are each other's reincarnations and previous lives. Kanako then ties a piece of thread around Yoriko's wrist in a friendship bracelet fashion, calling it the charm of fate. During another nighttime walk, Kanako recounts some of her childhood to Yoriko, saying she had a sickly mother who hated her and screamed at her to die while trying to strangle her. Kanako says she lives with her sister, Yuzuki Youko, who is kind to her, but that she still recalls the experience with her mother. Kanako then proceeds to demonstrate the strangling on Yoriko, who does not resist. Kanako squeezes tighter and tighter until Yoriko is on the verge of being strangled before letting go, saying that it was not the right moment. Kanako suggests that she and Yoriko go to a lake far away together to get away from everything. On the third Friday night of summer break, Kanako waits for Yoriko at a train station. When Yoriko arrives, Kanako is crying, but brushes it off when questioned by Yoriko. Kanako stands at the edge of the platform with Yoriko behind her, and it is later shown that she has a pimple on the nape of her neck, which Yoriko notices. Moments later, Kanako is pushed onto the tracks by an unseen individual, and is hit by the incoming train. Kanako is sent to the hospital following this accident, and undergoes surgery. Following the surgery, she is transferred by her sister to Mimasaka Koushirou's research facility, where she continues to undergo treatment. After some time, Kanako is mysteriously abducted from the research facility and never seen again. At the end of the series, it is revealed that Kanako was the product of the incestuous relationship between Mimasaka Koushirou and Yuzuki Youko. After Kanako was born, she lived with Yuzuki Youko and Amemiya Noritada, the latter of whom was in love with her, and her life expenses were paid for by the Shibata family, a powerful family in the series, that erroneously believed Kanako was their heiress. It is postulated by Kyogokudou that Kanako, despite seeming outwardly perfect, was in fact a broken individual who harboured deep sadness due to lacking parental love and being unable to make friends, hence explaining her willingness to spend time with Yoriko. This also explains Kanako's statement that she and Yoriko were each other, which was a reference to their similar situations (Yoriko also had strained or nonexistent relationships with her parents). After being hit by the train, Kanako was kept alive by Mimasaka Koushirou by removing the damaged body parts and replacing them with artificial parts, keeping her alive using the entire lab as a human body proxy. Her limbs are mostly found in Lake Sagami, with the exception of one, and this is the catalyst for the investigation of the Dismemberment Murder cases. Her abduction is revealed to be orchestrated by Suzaki, but Amemiya gains possession of Kanako's head, which is kept alive briefly by Mimasaka's equipment, and flees with it. At the very end, it is hinted that Amemiya is still travelling with Kanako's now-decomposed head, hence confirming Kanako's death. '''Personality' Kanako initially has a mysterious aura, which combined with her intellect and beauty makes her seem out of reach to many. She seems to be a kind individual, but often speaks cryptically and appears devoid of human emotion most of the time. Despite seeming perfect on the outside, Kanako was actually a fractured and pitiful individual inside who harboured deep sadness as she lacked a mother's love and never knew her father, and this was further exacerbated by her inability to make friends with the girls in her school, most of whom were admittedly much more shallow than her. As such, she was actually very happy in her friendship with Yoriko, despite the latter being unexceptional in every way. Relationships Kusumoto Yoriko: Kanako and Yoriko were classmates and best friends. Kanako, in her loneliness, greatly valued her friendship with Yoriko and spent much time with her. Kanako never found out that Yoriko was the person who pushed her onto the train tracks. Yuzuki Youko: Kanako had a positive relationship with her "sister" and thought of her as a kind person. She never found out that Youko was in fact her biological mother. Mimasaka Koushirou: Kanako's biological father and grandfather. She never had a familial relationship with him as she remained unaware of her true parentage until her death. Amemiya Noritada: Kanako's appointed guardian by the Shibata family. She seemed to trust him, but was unaware of the fact that he was in love with her. Category:Characters